Today, editors from various Armenian newspapers gathered at the office of "Haykakan Zhamanak" to make a public appeal for the release of Nikol Pashinyan. What follows are the statements of a few of them.

Edik Baghdasaryan (Hetq) – The authorities had one thing in mind when they threw Nikol in jail – to silence him. They chose that method because they really didn’t know him. They calculated everything but failed to realize they could not silence Nikol in this manner. Now, the authorities have reverted to other means.

Evidence of physical abuse just goes to prove that the authorities are very weak. A strong government wouldn’t take such steps. I tend to believe that the statements of so many editors might mean something for the authorities. Nikol must be immediately released from jail. We must raise the issue of his release, and not that of his safety will incarcerated. I always say that the authorities should not let this chance slip away; it’s a matter of their credibility.

Aram Abrahamyan (Aravot) – There was a Protestant minister during the reign of Hitler who later on wrote that when the Third Reich started to arrest communists, he said at the time that he wasn’t one and had nothing to worry about. Then they started to arrest Catholics and again he told himself, not to worry, he wasn’t one. He had the same defense when Jews were being rounded up. By the time he was arrested, there was no one left to defend him. It’s a very instructive story and a call to be on guard; not just editors and reporters, but everyone. If they arrest a person, throw him or her in jail for writing or saying this or that, and continue to persecute the person once inside, that must serve as a wake-up call, a signal, to all of us that such measures are unacceptable. Such behaviour is especially unacceptable in an independent Armenia.

Mesrob Movsesyan (A1+ TV) – I share the concerns of Mr. Abrahamyan and wish to state there are no criminal charges against Nikol or against us. But, we too can easily wind up like him, in jail, just because we want to see our nation placed on the correct track. We want one thing; for our people to get a breather. They need air to breathe and it is the press that can provide that oxygen. Until the time when our "honoured" authorities understand this, nothing will change in this country. We must start with the defense of Nikol. I again call on all of you; those who call themselves humble, to raise your voice in the defense of Nikol Pashinyan, in defense of a free press.

Satik Seyranyan (168 Zham) – I find it somewhat surprising that not all newspaper editors have united around this issue, since it affects each of us. As Mr. Abrahamyan and Mr. Movsesyan have noted, we must all unite not just as colleagues, but as citizens. The stance of the authorities puzzles me regarding this issue. The demands of a large section of the populace, of newspaper editors, seem to elicit no reaction from the authorities. Does the voice of the people, of editors, mean nothing?